Crook County
4-H Program
Record book
Guidelines,
How-to,
And
Tips
TO CREATE A CHAMPION RECORD BOOK WITH LESS
STRESS!!!!
What are records?
Records are a written summary of 4--H activities and projects. Records are a great way to show and
document what the 4-H member has learned, how they have done in their project areas, what
activi-ties they have participated in and how 4-H has helped them in life.
The 4-H program has specific forms to help members record important information. The forms are
compiled in a book so that information can be referred to, reviewed and updated on a regular basis.
An up to date record book is required to show any exhibit at fair and needs to be turned in by
the required dates. Record books are judged and awards are given for exceptional records.
ALL forms are available at the Crook County Extension office and most can be printed of at
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/crook/4h/project-records
Why are record books important?
4-H members enjoy working with their project but often record keeping is not an activity that the
member enjoys or works on regularly. However, record keeping is a necessary skill and will be used
throughout life. Anytime is a good time to learn how and why to keep records. Reasons why record
books are important are numerous. The benefits include the following:
Members who keep accurate records:
Learn important life skills: goal setting, organizing, planning, and written communication.
Learn how to set goals and evaluate their project’s growth.
Can reflect on and evaluate personal growth.
May receive county recognition.
Have an invaluable personal memory book. (This has proven to be very helpful as older youth
complete resumes and scholarship applications.
The Actual Record Book Cover
It is required that records be placed in a flat, ACCO-type folder. You can purchase the green
4-H Record Book Cover at the Crook County Extension office for $3.00 or you may purchase a folder
elsewhere. NO THREE RING BINDERS OR RIB SLIDE FOLDERS are accepted as it is difficult to
lay them flat and the pages tear out easily. It is a good idea to keep your records in a three ring
bind-er throughout the year for easy access and workability and then transfbind-er records into the appropriate
folder for judging.
When are record books due?
Record book check-in: Will be in June of every year. This will be held in the Clover Building.
It is MANDATORY for the 4-H YOUTH MEMBER and THEIR RECORD BOOK to attend.
Requirements for record book check-in (these are in the order that they should be in
the record book):
4-H Notes/Story from current year may be started but not required
Page 1 of Permanent Record completed for previous year and started for current
year
Projects completed page (in Permanent Record) must be complete up to current
year
All other pages of the Permanent Record must show progression in activities
Project records for the current year must be up to date at the time of check-in
Advancements—must to show progression
Previous 4-H year story and project records, including financial summary, must be
completed and closed out for the year
It is optional for the member to have their record book judged in the fall. If the member chooses
to turn their record book in for judging, those books are do at the beginning of October.
4-H Notes/Story
Your 4-H Notes/Story is about the things that occurred during the year that you would like to
re-member. Notes may be taken in the form of a diary or story with all project areas being
com-bined in one 4-H story. The 4-H Notes/Story is a required part of the record book.
Suggested guidelines for your story:
Introduce yourself, state your age, where you live, your family, your interest, when and why you
joined 4-H.
Tell about your 4-H projects and activities.
What are your goals for the current 4-H year?
What did you learn about yourself and your project (s) in the last year?
Describe your successes and/or failures.
Explain how 4-H has helped you become a better leader/citizen.
Tell about your leadership experiences.
What have you learned from working with other 4-H members?
Tell about your community service experiences and/or contributions.
Tell about your fair experience for the year. This is required for the next year’s record book
check in.
When do I start record book keeping?
The 4-H calendar year begins October 1 and ends September 30. Record books should be
start-ed October 1st. It is very important to begin accumulating your records at the beginning of the 4-H
year, NOT A WEEK BEFORE THEY ARE DUE. Records should be closed out September 30.
My 4-H Permanent Record
This record will be your summary of 4-H work done in all projects for every year you are in 4-H. It will be useful to you to know how much you have accomplished. It could be helpful when you are filling out other forms for 4-H, school, other youth programs, and community. It will be fun, too, to look back several years from now to see what you did. It could also help provide information for awards.
Start with your first year and keep it up to date yearly. If you need more space, do not use a second Permanent Record. Get a copy of 4-H 033RS, My 4-H Permanent Record Supplement, use it for headings, and make your own form.
Name_____________________________________ Boy _______Girl _______ Date born ___________ , _______ Address ______________________________________ ___________ _______________ _________________
No. & Street/Route & Box Post Office Zip Code
This is fi lled in at t he end of th e y ear, you c an get t hes e numb ers fro m y our le ader . Year Grade Name of Club (Individual projects go on next page) No. in
Club Club Leader
Meetings
Held Att'd Office or Committee
07-08 6 Oak Grove Clothing Club 10 Mrs. L Jones Vice President 07-08 6 Country Critters 9 Mr. Smith Reporter 08-09 7 Country Critters 12 Mr. Smith Treasurer
List the clubs in the same order each year. Drop the names of the clubs which you are no longer a
member and add new clubs that you have joined.
Office or Committee examples: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Sergeant of Arms,
Refreshment Committee, Calling Committee, Community Service Committee, Game Committee, etc.
If your club does not elect officers, say so. If you did not hold an office, leave blank.
If you carry projects as an individual member (independently) they should be listed under Projects
Completed and Exhibits Made on the next page.
Projects Completed and Exhibits Made
List all projects on this page. Start with your first year in 4-H. Show total size of projects by number of animals owned, dishes prepared, meals served, articles made, etc. (not just county fair exhibits). Indicate number of exhibits made and where exhibited. Use letters to show where: Local (L), County (C), District (D), Area (A), State (S), Regional (R), National (N), International (I). Show placing at fair and other competitions (1C-Red). If you exhibit in many shows, you may want to make a supplemental record indicating show, classes entered, and placing re-ceived. If you’re a teen or junior leader, list project here and indicate number of members assisted.
Year Name of Project Project Size (see above) Exhibits
07-08 Clothing 3 articles, 2 dresses 07-08 Beef 1 steer, 1 heifer 07-08 Record Book 1 book
You will list how many exhibits, where exhibited and placing that you re-ceived in each project. Example: 2L-2B would be 2 exhibits at community show and both received a blue ribbon.
2C-1B, 1R would be 2 county exhibits, one re-ceived a blue and one received a red.
Codes:
Local (L) = Club level (club getting together, community, etc.) County (C) = Exhibited in a county competition
Area (A) = Central Oregon area, competition with more than one county in the area State (S) = State level
Regional (R) = More than one state from the Western region of the US National (N) = Several states from all around the US
International (I) = More than one country Blue (B), Red (R), White (W)
Contests such as Judging Contests, Food Skills, etc and Showmanship go in the “Participation in 4-H
Activities” section. Showmanship is a CONTEST not an EXHIBIT.
This is for conformation of your project. What your project is made of.
Keep projects in the same order each year. Indicate what phase of the project that you are in.
Project size is the number of all the items (or animals) you did for that project not just the number you took to fair. Be specific about the size. List total number of animals, foods prepared, photos taken, crafts completed, etc.
If the project was exhibited, list the number of fair exhibits and ribbons earned (blue, red and white) . Champions, Reserve Champions and trophies, etc are listed under the “4-H Recognition” section.
Presentations
Show number of times and where presented. Example: (2L) for presentations in your 4-H Club, or (3C) for presentations to county-wide audiences. If you give a competitive presentation, indicate your placing ([Red] or [R]).
Year Title or topic
Number and where
Number of people in attendance
07-08 How to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich 2L, 1C 73
Presentations are planned talks that include an introduction, body and conclusion.
The categories include:
Demonstrations: Show and tell how you actually do something. Illustrated Talk: Uses slides, pictures, charts or modeling. Speech: Talking to audience without using props—telling.
Impromptu Speech: Prepare and deliver a speech with very little preparation time.
Include title, level of competition (local, county, state, etc) and the number of people in
attendance (this is normally an estimated number). This would be for any formal 4-H
presentation. Also, would need to meet time requirements of 3-10 minutes for juniors and
10-20 minutes for intermediates and seniors.
Other Public Appearances
Show number of times and where presented. Example: (3L) for three news stories submitted to your local paper, or (1N) for a news story submitted to the National 4-H News. When you give talks, be sure to record the number of people to whom you made a presentation. Under “Other” you may want to indicate posters or displays made, etc.
Year Talks be-fore 4-H Groups Attend-ance 4-H talks before other groups Attend-ance Radio Est. of Number Reached TV Est. of number reached News Sto-ries Est. of number reached Other 07-08 3L
“Talks before 4-H groups” are less formal than the “Presentations” section. This is when the 4-H leaders asks you to explain something during a club meeting or you give a report to the club for an advancement.
“Talks before other groups may include Kiwanis, Rotary, schools, and youth groups.
“Radio” includes any type of radio interview. “TV” includes a television interview or appearance on a program. “New Stories” includes the number of stories you write, even if not published.
Examples of things that you may put under “Other”: camp skit, oral reasons, school speeches, posters, displays and interview judging (static fair entry interview with the judge).
Participation in 4-H Activities
(Include training activities, special program activities, and competitive activities.) Judging, Identification, Showmanship, Fashion Revue, Foods Contests, Safety, Health, Consumer Education, Commodity Market-ing Activities, Livestock Field Day, etc. Show your number and where, as you indicated for exhibits and presentations. Also indicate things learned.
Year Kind of Activity Things Learned Level of Participation
07-08 Dog Judging Breeds of 20 dogs 3L, 1C, 1S, 2R, 3B, 1Ch
07-08 Photography field trips Lighting 3A, 2L
In this example this member participated in Dog Judging and they learned about 20 breeds of dogs, they participated in 3 local contests, 1 county contest and 1 state contest and received 2 red ribbons, 3 blue ribbons and 1 champion ribbon. **List all of the activities that you par-ticipated in such as: Horse bowl, Food Skills Contests, any work shops, etc.** Fundraising activities.
*****List one thing that you learned from the event*******
Contest:
Showmanship, Food Preparation, Measuring Contests, Mini-Meal Contest, Judging Contest (Horse, Dog, Foods, Livestock, etc) Record Keeping Contest, Herdsmanship, Horse Bowl, Presentations, Educational Displays, Fashion Revue.
Workshops/Training Events (Learning Activities):
Judging Clinics, Camp Counselor Training, Record Book Workshop, Presentation Workshop, Livestock Clinics, Horse Clinics, State Forums/workshops, Field Days, Sewing Clinics, Photography Clinics, Idea Fair. An event that can be used as a learning tool.
General Activities (Learning Activities):
Trail Ride, Fundraising Activities, Fun Match/Play Day, 4-H Ambassador Weekend, Parades, Consumer Education, Club Parties, Weigh-In, Vet Science Labs, Benefit Auction and Recognition Night (if you helped with setting up chairs, tables) etc.
Year Kind or name of event Scholarship by--
07-08 High Desert Leadership Retreat CC Leader’s Assoc.
4-H EVENTS Attended: Tours, Camps, Summer Days, etc.
If you didn’t receive a scholarship or if it does not apply, leave the scholarship column blank. This section in intended to reflect general attendance at large 4-H events.
Activities can be done as an individual or club outings.
Examples: High Desert Leadership Retreat, OSU Summer Conference, National 4-H Congress/Conference, Benefit Auction, Recognition Night (if you went and didn’t help in any manner).
4-H Advancement Programs
(Advancement certificates should be included with your 4-H record)
Program or Project Step No. Date Step No. Date Step No. Date Step No. Date
Rabbit 1 4/30/09
Many projects have advancement programs. Advancement programs help you plan your self directed exploring and learning. They give you ideas and guide you in experiences of learning subject matter, developing leadership skills and participating in citizenship experiences.
Dates go ACROSS the page when each step is completed for the project.
The advancement record is considered part of your project records. The advancement record book and/or certificates are placed behind your corresponding current project records.
Leadership in 4-H
Tell specific responsibilities; give the number of people you directed/led and the number of times.
Identify the things you have done in 4-H , where you planned, organized or gave direction.
List duties, responsibilities and number of people.
Examples:
Junior Leadership, Clerking at County Fair, Teen Leadership Council, Teen Staff at County Fair, Parade Chair, Workshop Leader, Teach Others How-To, Organized 4-H Activities, Advisory Committee Rep, MC at Recognition Night.
Year
Leadership responsibilities (not honors) in 4-H. Include number reached through leadership efforts. (Offices held in 4-H club are listed on page 1.) Junior leaders should indicate their responsibilities.
07-08 Junior leader– Rabbit Club– 7 members—14 meetings—responsible for herdsmanship schedule
Camp Counselor– one week– 8 girls—responsible for leading craft activities
Leadership in Other Organizations
Year
Leadership responsibilities in school and other community organizations. Include number reached through leadership experience.
07-08 Student Council Vice President– Student body of 213
Student Aide– taught reading to three second graders, 10 hours Leadership at CCHS—organized dance—100 students
List duties, hours and number of people involved. Examples:
4-H Citizenship, Community Service, and Community Pride
Year
List what you did as a member of a club and/or as an individual. Examples: Park clean-up, reading to the elderly, get-out-the-vote campaign. Indicate the number of people helped, if appropriate.
07-08 Donated $900.00 to St. Jude’s Children Hospital 4 hours
Include all service projects, not just 4-H related. Indicate in parenthesis other organizations that you did community service with. (Example: school, church, scouts, FFA).
Do not include fundraisers. They are listed under “Participation in 4-H Activities”. Do list monies donated to a service project with the
dollar amount included. (Example: if your 4-H club did a car wash fundraiser and earned $300.00, that goes under “4-H Activities”. If you donate some or all of that money to a charity/project that would go under this section.)
This section includes activities that contribute to the welfare of other community organizations, groups, or individuals that are not associated with 4-H. These can be done in a group or as an individual. Put the most important experiences first within each year. Indicate time spent in hours/days, number of people involved, etc.
If you take some leadership role in planning or organizing the activity, it will also be listed under “Leadership in 4-H”. Helping your family is not a Community Service.
Examples of Community Service:
Present ribbons at shows, food drives, washed wheelchairs, visit nursing homes, worked for needy, planted trees, helped at church, school fundraisers, parades, clean up parks.
Participation in Other Community Activities
Year List what you did in other organizations/activities in school and community.
07-08 Participated in school choir and church choir
CCHS Choir—Alto—5 concerts
Examples: school choir, church choir, cheerleading, library help, speech team, Jackpot shows, Honor Society
4-H Recognition
Year Important honors, award, trips, etc. (Do not include awards listed on pages 2, 3, or 4.)
07-08 Champion Junior Clothing Exhibit (trophy)
Grand Champion Horse Showman—chair sponsored by King’s Auto
This is the place for those special awards and recognitions you have received in 4-H. You will not list them anywhere else in your records.
4-H Champion and Reserve Champion ribbons are entered here
List the specific award and what was received (trophy, buckle, cash) and who sponsored it.
If you were positively singled out for some reason, that is an honor.
Examples: 4-H Champion and Reserve Champion Placings, Top Record Book, Special Trophies, Scholarships, Club Recog-nition, County Medals, selected for State Fair.
Other Recognition
List any recognition you may have received from other organizations such as school or sports awards. This is where your would list if you were selected or “tapped” for honor role (list GPA)
Supplemental Record Book Pages
Supplemental Record Book pages for Permanent Records sections are available at the 4-H Extension office.
It is acceptable to use a copied heading on notebook paper with appropriate (neat, straight and clean) rows.
Supplemental records may be placed in the permanent record next to the appropriate section or directly
be-hind the permanent record.
Animal Science and Feed & Growth Records
Families who purchase feed for several animals should divide costs by the number of animals. Records
should indicate the amount given to only your 4-H animal (s). Costs can be entered monthly or as feed is
purchased.
Include premiums and cash awards as project income.
If an animal is boarded or leased, there are still expenses associated with its care. All animals eat and
need physical and medical care.
Just because your family raised the animal, doesn’t mean that it is free.
Depreciation of inventory should be calculated for the ending value. A rule of thumb figure is to deduct
3% per year.
For your Animal Science Record enter your feed as you purchase it. For your Feed & Growth
Record enter the consumption of feed by market animal per month.
Your Animal Science Record is for ALL of your animals for that animal project.
Your Feed & Growth Record is for only your market animal.
On your Feed & Growth Record—Date of your market animal “Rate of Gain” weight needs to coincide
with the “Feed Record”.
Suggestion: You may want to keep a calendar with all the important costs, happenings, and activities to be
transferred to your notes/project records monthly. Include the following details on your calendar: purchases,
sales, breeding, daily happenings, failures, achievements, weights, things learned, items made, summary of
club meetings, involvement in fair, increase or decrease in feed, etc.
Year List important recognition in school, other youth organizations and community.
07-08 Silver Presidential Award, Crook County Middle School.
Advancement Records
Project members will want to use the advancement guide to make sure they are learning about all areas
re-lated to their projects. The advancement certificate needs to be placed behind the appropriate advancement
record. You must include the advancement record in the record book even if it is not fully completed.
If you have discontinued a project, the advancement record for that project would go in the past records with
that discontinued project record from the year before. This will then be removed from your record book and
placed with your records that your are keeping on file.
Advancement records are not available for ALL project areas. Check with the Crook County Extension office
to learn more about available advancement programs.
Project photographs/newspaper clippings
Photos and/or newspaper clippings are optional and are not required but will be one of the treasured parts of
your 4-H records when you look at them in the future. Put your photos or news clippings behind your 4-H
Notes/Story. Please remember to limit photos/clippings to three one sided pages. You can also include
anything of special significance, but remember the three one sided page limit.
The 4-H Notes/Story and photos/clippings are only for the current year. These will be removed from your
record book when you start your new year after your record book has been judged in the fall.
Record Book Assembly
It is required that records be placed in a flat, ACCO-type folder. No three ring binders.
4-H member’s name and class (Junior, Intermediate, or Senior) must be printed on the front of the
members record book.
